Normal retention of bones is accomplished by the balance of bone resorption and osteogenesis, and when bone resorption is promoted, bone components are dissolved and decrease, resulting in bone diseases such as osteoporosis. It is known that sex hormones such as estrogen have the function of suppressing bone resorption, and are therefore used as prophylactics and remedies for osteoporosis in Europe and America. Nonetheless, it has not yet been confirmed that these hormones concentrate on the bones, and the possibility of carcinogenesis resulting from single administration of these hormones cannot be denied.
On the other hand, tetracycline type antibiotics have a property such that they concentrate on the bones, but they have neither the bone resorption inhibition function nor the ossification function. Only U.S. Pat. No. 4,925,833 describes that tetracycline promotes the synthesis of bone proteins in the experiments of a cell level. Though the synthesis of the bone proteins is necessary for osteogenesis, the synthesis of the bone proteins alone cannot promote osteogenesis.
Materials which have the osteogenesis promotion function and which can be used as the prophylactics and remedies for bone diseases have not yet been known to this date.
Accordingly, the present invention contemplates to provide a remedy for bone diseases, which has a bone resorption inhibition function as well as osteogenesis function, preferably synergistically, and can concentrate on the bones.